I am currently looking for work after raising my kids and have had a few interviewers who seemed more nervous than me! They were both young (early 20s) and might have been intimidated by the fact that I could be their mother (not quite). What do I do in that situation?

Interviewing conundrum

Many job seekers find themselves out of practice with job interviewing (no one is usually interviewing every day for years, since chances are good that we eventually get a job and stop needing to interview). The same principle holds true for the person doing the interviewing. For most, unless they are HR professionals, it’s not a daily occurrence, and they aren’t able to practice their skills adequately. In addition, they probably haven’t been trained in effective interviewing in the first place, and they will usually fall back on what they know, which is usually their own experience being interviewed.

Bad beyond their years

This phenomenon goes beyond the age of the interviewer — indeed it goes beyond the organizational level, education, or experience of the interviewer. They simply don’t know any better. Whatever you do, don’t try to take advantage of the situation and make it apparent to everyone that you have taken over the interview process — this will most likely get you labeled as pushy and possibly difficult to manage. Gauge how they are reacting and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Go into salvage mode

When you see the first signs of a bad interviewer (nervousness, too much small talk, long pauses, asking too soon whether you have any questions for them), acknowledge the fact and start to adapt your interview style. This can be easier said than done, but it is in your own best interest to keep the interview (and interviewer) on track so you can most adequately convey how you are the best candidate for the job. You do not want to be too overt in this so it becomes apparent that you have taken control.

Make them feel as comfortable as possible

Try to make them feel more comfortable in the meeting by smiling and appearing as relaxed as you can (of course without overdoing it and appearing to be sluggish and banal yourself — not always the easiest thing to do). Use appropriate humour to get them to relax a bit, or try to have them talk about something with which they are very comfortable. For example, if you see a picture of them on a golf course, or at Disneyland, you might want to mention it and ask them about it.

Use your resume for dialogue (that’s what it’s for)

Don’t forget your main objective for the interview — no matter how poor the interviewer is, you must still leave with them feeling that you are the best candidate for the job. If your resume is done right, you can point to it as a reference tool and ask them questions that they may have failed to ask, such as “Can I tell you about my experience at ABC company?” or “As you have no doubt seen on my resume, I was able to save 22% on overhead costs by installing a new approval process — I would be happy to expand on that if you want to hear more”. Notice that ultimate control is given back to the interviewer in both cases — much better than “Let me tell you about the great stuff I did at ABC”.

Interviewers come in all shapes and sizes

“Interview Shaping” is a fine art and not easily mastered, but preparing yourself ahead of time can give you an edge. Remember your main objective at all times! You now have the luxury of having experience with a couple of bad interviewers — use that experience wisely to prepare for next time (there will be a next time), and remember that in any interview situation, always expect the unexpected!

Good luck!

Mitchell Stephenson M.A., CPCC, is a senior partner and a certified professional career counsellor at Catalyst Careers, a career transition, counselling, and outplacement firm. Mitch has been involved in human resources, career counselling and coaching in the health and legal sectors for many years. To contact him, visit: www.catalystcareers.ca.

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